Because Ye Xi couldn't speak, the group didn't return to Zhihong Garden but went straight to the adjacent Prince Yu'an's Mansion.
As soon as Ye Xi got off the carriage, she was hugged tightly by Yi Yaofeng, who had been eagerly waiting. With his big, tear - filled eyes like black grapes, he looked at her and said:
"Elder Sister Xi... Wuwu... You're finally back! Steward Chen said you were sick and had to go to another place to recuperate for a while. But I knew you were kidnapped by bad guys..."
"Elder Sister Xi, are you okay? Did Uncle Yuan protect you well?"
Wiping away his tears, Yi Yaofeng continued:
"It doesn't matter. If Uncle Yuan can't protect you, I can. Let me tell you, I've been working really hard these days, and my martial arts have improved a lot."
"I've beaten all the sparring partners Lin An arranged for me. From now on..." Patting his chest, Yi Yaofeng said seriously, "Yaofeng will protect you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Yuan gave him a cold look and nudged him away with a finger, saying:
"You? Talk to me after you can beat me."
"Now, get out of the way."
After saying that, he led Ye Xi towards the mansion, leaving Yi Yaofeng on the other side.
Naturally, Yi Yaofeng was not convinced. He tried to get closer to Ye Xi while jumping up and down and arguing with Yi Yuan.
A look of surprise flashed across Ye Xi's face. She knew Yi Yuan. He was very strict with Yi Yaofeng, and the people Lin An arranged would never let Yi Yaofeng win easily.
If Yi Yaofeng said he had won, it meant he had truly triumphed.
Taking a closer look at the pouting Yi Yaofeng beside her, Ye Xi noticed that he had grown much taller. His chubby little face was starting to change, and there was a faint resemblance to Yi Yuan in his features.
Filled with a multitude of emotions, Ye Xi softened her eyes and made gestures to praise Yi Yaofeng.
This really surprised Yi Yaofeng. He slipped beside Ye Xi like a little loach and anxiously grabbed her hand and asked:
"Elder Sister Xi! What's wrong with you!? Why can't you talk?"
Yi Yuan's long fingers twitched slightly. He moved Ye Xi to his other side and mercilessly pried Yi Yaofeng's little hand off Ye Xi's:
"Your Elder Sister Xi was poisoned. If you keep delaying, it will be even harder to detoxify her."
"Ah?"
Yi Yaofeng's little face turned pale. He quickly withdrew his hand and quickened his steps.
"Then, then let's hurry up. Elder Sister Xi, come on. Yaofeng will run with you."
Seeing that Yi Yaofeng was scared, Ye Xi gave Yi Yuan a sidelong glance, slapped his hand away, and quickly followed Yi Yaofeng.
Unexpectedly, Yi Yaofeng started running right away, and his little Xi ran along with him. Yi Yuan touched his nose and helplessly chased after them.
The group rushed through the garden corridor in a scattered manner, bringing a bit of liveliness and vitality to the silent winter.
Doctor Ji carefully felt Ye Xi's pulse and pondered for a while. Just when Yi Yuan was about to grab him and shake out the diagnosis results, Doctor Ji finally said:
"Well... Miss Xi is in good health, and there are no signs of poisoning."
"As for why she can't speak..."
After thinking for another while, Doctor Ji said unhurriedly under Yi Yuan's murderous gaze:
"Firstly, Miss Xi's throat may not be used to speaking after such a long time of silence. Secondly, the medicine previously administered to Miss Xi may not have completely dissipated. Once the remaining medicine in her body is completely gone, Miss Xi will naturally regain her voice."
"Okay,"
Yi Yuan nodded slightly:
"How many more days will it take for the medicine to dissipate completely? Do we need to prescribe some more medicine as an auxiliary?"
"No need for that,"
Doctor Ji shook his head and said:
"Although the villain drugged Miss Xi to take her away easily, he had no intention of harming her at all. Those strange medicines not only did no harm to Miss Xi but also improved her health a bit."
"All medicines have some toxicity. Since Miss Xi is okay, it's best not to take medicine. As for when the medicine's effect will completely disappear, it will probably take about five to seven days."
Yi Yuan let out a sigh of relief. He rubbed Ye Xi's hand back and forth a few times and said:
"Okay, go down."
The people around also felt relieved. Yi Yaofeng especially refused to let go of Ye Xi and happily wanted to celebrate for her.
Yi Yuan didn't object. Instead, he looked at Ye Xi and agreed:
"Celebrating is not a bad idea."
"Firstly, we were out looking for you some days ago, so we missed Yaofeng's seventh birthday. Secondly, we've had so many things happen to us during this period and received help from so many people. We should express our gratitude."
"However..."
Turning to look at Yi Yaofeng, a trace of grief flashed across Yi Yuan's eyes:
"Brother and Sister - in - law passed away less than a year ago. We definitely can't have a grand celebration. Just invite a few familiar people for a meal."
Ye Xi naturally had no objections. Since she couldn't speak, she left this matter to Steward Chen and Saixing to handle.
However, after all the scares during this period, she had forgotten that Yi Yaofeng had turned seven.
And Yi Yaofeng didn't mention it at all. The first thing he did when he saw her was to care about her safety. He was really sensible, which made her love him even more.
Patting Yi Yaofeng's little head, Ye Xi motioned for Saixing to bring paper and a pen. She smilingly "discussed" with Yi Yaofeng what gift he wanted.
Just then, a servant came to report that Qiao Yan, Qiao He, and Liu Mengxian had come to visit, and Xie Huaiyue and Hun Yuan with Lian Yi had also arrived.
All these people cared about them. Presumably, they had rushed over as soon as they received the news.
The two looked at each other and smiled, then got up together to greet them.
The group exchanged greetings for a while. Yi Yuan then told them that Ye Xi couldn't speak for the time being and approximately when she would be able to speak again. Only then did the group separate according to gender and start chatting.
As a child, Yi Yaofeng had no such concerns. He stayed on Ye Xi's side and played with Lian Yi, whom he rarely saw after she started training with Hun Yuan.
Yi Yuan had been brief just now, so Qiao Yan and Liu Mengxian didn't learn much. Now that there were only the girls left, Qiao Yan immediately bombarded Ye Xi with questions, determined to know all the details of the rescue mission she had missed.
Ye Xi's hand was almost smoking from writing before she finally "answered" all of Qiao Yan's questions.
The thrilling journey along the way made the girls exclaim in surprise.
Rubbing her sore wrist, Ye Xi suddenly remembered Shen Zhou.
So she picked up the pen again and asked a couple of questions.
After all, Yi Yuan was able to detoxify thanks to Shen Zhou. It wouldn't be right to be ungrateful and ignore him after using his help.
There was suddenly a moment of silence in the room.
The girls glanced at each other, and finally Jiang Ning spoke up:
"Mr. Shen... seems to be under house arrest by the Shen family."
[Under house arrest?]
Ye Xi frowned involuntarily:
[Is it because he found the Wu'ai Fruit for A Yuan?]
Jiang Ning nodded:
"Probably."
"The day you were kidnapped, Mr. Shen came alone to deliver the Wu'ai Fruit. Although he didn't have any serious injuries, he was extremely weak, as if he had been locked up without food or water for a long time. His eyes were also burned, and he couldn't see clearly or recognize people."
Jiang Ning's expression gradually became solemn:
"Later..."